'Okay Peter you're smart, you can figure out how to open a damn door!' Said Peter, failing to do so. After waking up, Peter started noticing how he suddenly gained superpowers.
And while he was ecstatic about having such great abilities, they were also a drag to deal with. He winced with every sound and every light he noticed. He broke almost every door in his room, from drawers and his closet. And worst of all, he was sticky.
Peter really freaked out when he grabbed a pen for him to start writing his discoveries, when suddenly he couldn't get it off his left hand. Things escalated to the point where he was struggling to get off the ceiling.
How he could stick his feet to the ceiling with both shoes and socks he didn't know.
He still liked how he grew, both several inches in height and muscle. He settled to blame that to puberty or something similar when asked about it. Giving the first shot to his uncle and aunt when they inevitably asked him first during breakfast.
"Peter? You look… different?" Ben questioned as he saw his nephew now sporting a perfectly fitted shirt that he knows is a little too big for him. Or was.
"Really?" Peter asked as he checked himself over, feigning ignorance.
"You look taller as well sweetie. And where are your glasses?" May mused and asked as she also looked at Peter from the kitchen, noticing the changes as well.
"Uuhhm, I guess I got sick because I got a sudden growth spurt?" Explained Peter lamely, unsure of his own excuse. He mentally slapped himself in the forehead as an uneasy smile grew on his face at his family's scrutinizing stare.
But his uncle only chuckled slightly "Well son I have to say you were late due on it. Here I was starting to doubt your growing, glad to see I was wrong" he exclaimed as he gave a nod to Peter and then proceeded to keep reading his paper.
"That's not nice dear, obviously our boy was going to grow one of these days, which by the way dear, it makes you look even more handsome than before" May reproached her husband while complementing Peter.
'Ouch' or so they thought, because in reality Peter knows that he would have stayed the same if not for the spider bite 'there goes my confidence' he groaned mentally as he sat down on the table.
"Here you go sweetie, your favorites" May said as she sat down some wheat cakes in front of Peter, making him forget about his wounded pride.
"Oh, sweet!" Peter exclaimed as he started serving himself. He was starving like never before.
May simply chuckled as she returned to the kitchen to prepare herself a cup of coffee as she feels flooded by the warm feeling that family brings you.
She loves this routine.
May Parker can safely say that the morning where she can relax with her husband and nephew, who she thinks of like a son, are her favorite part of any day.
The way the smell of coffee and whatever she cooked for her boys lingers in the air while the soft orange glow of the sunlight peers through the windows give a magical charm to her small kitchen. She likes to observe from the counter as Ben and Peter enjoy each other's presence quietly. Ben reading from a paper and Peter immersed in her food while reading something she can't even read the title of properly.
She closes her eyes to enjoy the piece and serenity this time of day brings her together with her family.
"Holy! Peter, did you eat all the wheat cakes by yourself?" Ben interrupts May's serenity with shock at what his nephew had done.
"Yeah?" Peter asks dumbly.
"Peter, that serving was for you an me" Ben explained with somewhat of a childish whine. His favorite breakfast are also his wife's wheat cakes after all.
"Oh, sorry uncle, I thought you already ate before" Peter said embarrassed.
*Giggle* "It's alright dear, I can whip you more in no time" May giggled at the scene. A little shocked as well that Peter ate two servings by himself.
"Can I also get more?" Peter asked excitedly, making both adults look at Peter with curious looks.
"You're still hungry? Are you sure you're all right?" Ben asked worriedly. Never has Peter eaten so much before.
"Oh leave him, Ben. He's a growing young man that skipped dinner last night" May defended Peter, delighted that he's finally eating more. For years May has told Peter that he looks too skinny and that he needs to eat more "and of course you can have more sweetie, as many as you like".
"…Thanks May" Peter, after a few seconds of considering what he's doing, thanked his aunt profusely.
Seems like the spider bite not only changes how his body looked, but how it and with what it worked as well. He really needs to write down everything about him.
So far it seems like he is sometimes sticky, his strength is superior than it was, he senses are dialed up to 11 and his metabolism is way faster than it was before. Not a bad first gathering of information in Peter's opinion.
So after a while of calling and lying to his friends about how he was hit with a strong cold, and convincing the girls of not coming to visit him because he'd feel guilty if they caught it too because of him, he'd take the weekend off with the promise of making up the lost time to them.
It was also kind of a shameful relief to hear that MJ would be going to visit her mom. And while he knew that she doesn't have the best family dynamic at home, the reason why she's living with her aunt, he couldn't afford for her to see him escape his house.
'But escape where?' Peter wondered in his room as he played with his sticky powers, trying to control them better each time and starting to get the hand of them.
He needs a place where he can test his abilities without prying eyes, where nothing would happen if something broke and, if possible, to not be in a very busy street.
After thinking about it hard, Peter remembered he knew the perfect place 'of course!' He thinks to himself excitedly as he gets everything ready to go there.
And so the weekend was spent in an abandoned mechanic shop he found one day with his friends near the outskirts of the city, several train stations away from where he lives.
'There must be a faster way of getting through the city' thought Peter with an internal sigh as he watched the weirdos in the subway preaching about the end of the world because of a mole on his arm or trying to make a handstand while their pet chicken clucks in the middle of the wagon.
Finally arriving at the mechanic shop, Peter is relieved to see it's just as he remembers it to be, perfect for what he is planning to do there. He then started to test himself in however ways he could think so.
From what he could or couldn't stick to, which he could to everything he found, to how long he could stick to the walls. That last test was probably a bad idea, since he stayed stuck for hours while he was writing his own theories on what happened to him in a notebook.
His first day and the only thing he truly did was learning how to stick and unstick at will. Not bad, but surely he could have done more.
On Sunday Peter arrived more or less at the same hour after breakfast, this time he spent the whole day trying to control his strength. He wasn't looking forward to bumping into someone in the busy New York streets and hurting them by accident.
He more or less got the hang of his strength, mainly by hugging and holding a pillar on his arms and projecting the amount of force he was imputing as percentages in his head, when the pillar cracked, Peter then shifted to use something softer. Finally he managed to 'play' with an empty cardboard box; doing things like catching it, hugging it while pretending it's heavy or even slapping it upwards, and leaving it without a single dent.
That very same night he got the idea for his web shooters while riding the subway back home, his seat directly in front of a shirtless homeless man that smelled like he just crawled out of the sewers.
He felt awful at the thought, but his sense of smell was one he has yet not discovered how to dull out. His heart truly ached at the sight of someone living in such conditions, the man was shivering for god's sake, but there was not much he could do about this. Not now at least.
As his form of saying sorry about his tasteless thoughts, Peter took off his sweater which was a tight fit even before the spider bite and left it beside the man before exiting the subway. It was unlikely that Peter would wear something so tight again, so the man would get more than him out of it.
Walking out of the station, Peter started wondering again if there was a way of getting around in a faster way than just walking and via train, when suddenly he remembered that amongst his father's things is an old formula his father dabbled with and got left forgotten in a box in the attic. He could maybe perfect it and make something cool out of it!
He didn't have much time for today though, he did leave the shop late and he has school tomorrow again.
And he's nervous as to how everyone is going to react to his new self…if they even do of course.
"Peter, is that you?!" Asked Gwen with a gasp when she laid eyes upon him in school, Monday morning. Causing his other friends and classmates to also look towards the door where a slightly taller, and more jacket-filling Peter Parker stood, just barely in time before being late. Luckily for Peter, their teacher was also a bit late.
His reason for being late is that he was nervous, and considered not going to class that day too in order to avoid being questioned about anything, still pretending to be sick to get away with it. He doubts that the 'puberty' reason will work on his friends, and he dreads being the center of attention.
But regretfully he's been aiming to have perfect assistance for his last year of middle school, so he ended up going.
'Damn it, they did notice!' He thought nervously as a circle formed around him of his classmates.
But to his surprise he only got praises and some blushes from his female friends as they asked how he felt and more importantly what happened to him that day.
"I guess puberty decided to hit me strong that day and my body gave in?" Answered Peter lamely amd shamefully while scratching his nape. It was embarrassing to say something like that for his whole class to hear, but if that excuse worked with his family, why not his friends?
"Heh, I was starting to think you'd be stuck as the short kid forever dude" luckily for him, Harry didn't seem to care all that much for his change, in fact, he didn't even look up at him from his desk as he was too busy looking at his phone.
This however was lucky for Peter, because thanks to this everyone else accepted the answer Peter gave without another question. It's something a little embarrassing to be talking about puberty and the changes it brings like they are out loud first thing in the morning.
"I gotta say Tiger, you do look good without glasses" That didn't stop the praises he got about his appearance though.
"T-thanks MJ, I've been thinking of getting contacts and they finally came yesterday through the mail." Answered Peter with a blush making the girls snicker at how cute he looked.
"It really brings out your eyes" Chat said as she looked deep into them. She never realized how enchanting and bold his brown eyes are.
"I'll miss your glasses though, they made you look nerdish but in a cute way" said Gwen her real thoughts and then immediately regretted it because of the look of surprise Peter and the whole class gave her.
"I-I mean hehe, y'know-" Gwen stammered nervously for a bit, but was literally saved by the bell and her teacher who came into class at the last minute.
"Okay class I'm here, I'm here" said the English teacher as she practically ran into the room "sorry about that everyone *phew* but now I'm here so please everyone, take your seats" the teacher asked as she settled herself on the teachers desk.
There was an audible groan from the majority of the class which gained a glare from the English teacher that prompted everyone to behave.
"Yeah, that's what I thought" muttered the teacher as she looked around the class with narrowed eyes.
Gwen was the only one who was relieved to see her teacher, and sat down while trying to make herself look small to try and avoid the snickering looks her's and Peter's bullies normally give her when they do something embarrassing.
Peter still felt varios looks on him and stayed pretty embarrassed by them for the majority of the class. It was curious to him why out of everyone, the one who had the most attention on him was Jessica Jones.
Could she be suspecting something? She is one of the phew people in class that talks to him regularly besides his friends, so did she notice something the others didn't?
Peter wasn't sure, but he'd need to keep himself more hidden than he thought based on the eyes he could now physically feel.
Of course he didn't know that Jessica was actually looking at him with love stricken eyes while she drew her's and Peter's name inside a heart on her notebook while sighing softly.
Similarly to her, Gwen, MJ and Chat really like how Peter is now looking, but are better at keeping it under wraps from the dense boy.
Peter also got the same reactions from his decathlon team, his band practice group and Gwen's and MJ's band mates, which to Peter's bafflement got frowns from both girls as Betty and Glory praised him.
And so the week went by normally in school, with Peter making an extra effort to control his powers while trying not to do anything suspicious.
He somewhat learned how to do so during the weekend and it also helped that he went after school to that abandoned mechanic shop when he didn't hang out with his friends or had a commitment beforehand.
Peter managed to control the level of his grip strength so he wouldn't destroy things even if he grabbed something heavy. And speaking of heavy things, there was an abandoned and broken down tow truck without wheels in the shop that Peter could use to test his strength.
After a quick internet search Peter found out a small tow truck such as this weighs around 10,000 pounds or 4 tons and a half.
So after putting some rubble inside he prepared to lift it up "Holy shit!" exclaimed and excited Peter to no one as he tried to balance the truck in one hand with some effort.
After that there wasn't anything heavier he could lift in the place, so he reckoned his limit was about 10 tons after the display he just gave. So he left, planning to go straight to his home.
He started walking until a red, flashy pamphlet caught his eye. It was one about wrestling amateurs. It had the prize of $500 to the winner and the chance to fight against pros on Saturday.
Peter stared at it for a moment thinking 'Ben and May have difficulties with money… they always tried to hide it from me but I always knew. And now that I have super hearing I can hear when they discuss how worried they are about this behind my back…' started Peter, remembering how the first night after he discovered his abilities and still couldn't tune out everything May and Ben worried about hospital bills if worse came to pass.
'Also…' Peter remembers shamefully how he got into a discussion with Ben over their financial situation once he got home early from his 'training'. He was very hungry that day and didnt had a dime on his person. So he decided to head home and eat there.
Flashback
Peter entered his home quietly, not wanting to wake up his uncle who would normally take naps at this hour of the day.
'Hmm? Oh he's awake' Peter figured once he closed the front door and noticed how the kitchen light on 'probably he was also feeling hungry' he thought to himself with his stomach empty.
"Hey Ben, what are you-" Peter greeted his uncle.
"Jesus!" But got interrupted by a shout the older man let out "Oh, Peter *Huff* dont scare me like that. In old you know?!" Complained the older man as he grabbed his chest. He didn't hear his nephew opening the door or walking to the kitchen. Which is weird since everything creaks on their old home.
*Chuckle* "Sorry, uncke. I guessed you were sleeping so I walked in quietly" Peter chuckled slightly at his uncle's reaction as he went for the fridge.
However whatever was on Ben's hand stopped him. He held in a poor attempt to hide the overdue letters and bills in his wrinkly hands.
"What uh, what you got there?" Peter question as he pointed towards the bills.
"Hmm? Oh nothing, nothing. Just letters from my old friends from the military. We veterans need to stay in touch y'know?" Ben nervously answered as he tried to hide better the letters. But he is such an honest and moral man than anyone could tell he's trying to lie.
Due to his nervousness and his old age, Ben ended up dropping the letters, making them more than visible to Peter.
"Overdue bills? Again? I thought May said we wouldn't have a problem with the bank" Peter asked as he saw how many of the bills were overdue.
*Sigh* "They rejected our petition for a loan, son." There was no point in trying to hide this from Peter anymore. Even if Ben tried to lie, Peter is a smart kid who would pester him or May until they told him the truth.
"But… some of these are from last month! Why didn't you guys tell me?!" Peter demanded to know. Just a while back he even convinced Ben to get him a new and expensive book of college level engineering.
"It's not for you to know, Peter" Ben scowled at Peter, not appreciating his tone.
"Not for me to know?! Why not?! I told you that I could start pitching in, get a minimum wage job somewhere or something!" Peter yelled with frustration, feeling hurt at the fact that his aunt and uncle didnt seem to trust in him enough to share this.
"I'm going to need you to calm down young man!" Yelled Ben, matching Peter's intensity.
"How the hell can I be calm when you guys don't trust in me with our situation?!" Peter argued while motioning to himself with his hands.
"It's not your responsibility!" Ben counter argued. He was the adult here, he knew what he was going into when he signed the adoptive permits for Peter. He should be enjoying his young life, not worrying about wether they'll have running water this particular week or not. That's his job.
"Why not?! I can still help you! I mean GOD!" Peter yelled in frustration "I even had you buying me that book the other day! You could have told me no, damn it! I understand!"
"Oh, so now you don't appreciate me buying you things!" Ben questioned with narrowed eyes, his voice still yelling.
"Don't put words in my mouth, you know that is not what is happening here!" Accused Peter.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, YOUNG MAN!" Ben demanded.
"THEN STOP DOING DUMB SHIT THAT-" Peter, in the heat of the moment, cursed.
"BAM*
Which Ben did not like, so he banged the table with his fist, making a loud sound while knocking off some of the cutlery off the table. He would not allow Peter to talk to him that way, no matter who is right or wrong, he has no right to talk that way. May and Ben are not raising him to be this way, even though he knows very well that all the Parkers have very strong tempers.
It's something that he knows every born Parker inherits, and for a long long while, Ben was hopeful that Peter wouldn't inherit that specific characteristic in his temper. He was wrong.
But that is still no excuse for him to shout, and worse, curse in a an argument with someone.
So "THAT'S IT, GO TO YOUR ROOM!" Ben yelled as he stood up, his presence commanding.
Peter closed and tightened his eyes, knowing that he screwed up. He's worried about Ben, how could he not? He knows how stressed he is, how much he cares about him and May. That's why he first offered to pitch in for the expenses of the house and why he doesn't ask for much from the older man.
He almost never does anything to make either of the older couple as mad as this, he is a well behaved kid who is eternally grateful for everything they both had done for him.
That's why instead of arguing further, Peter shifts his face to one full of regret and understanding, so he starts nodding gently and says "Y-yeah okay, I'm…I'm sorry uncle" and quickly turns his back to the older man to go do as told.
Ben, seeing Peter's acceptance at what he did, immediately feels guilty as well. Very few times has he had to scold or punish his boy "Peter wait" Ben says gently.
"Yeah? Peter says barely above a murmur, not expecting being called again.
"I'm sorry too, son, it's just… *Sigh* I don't want you to worry about this" Ben has difficulty in explaining his reasoning to Peter "it's not because we don't trust you or anything like that. May and I just want you to have as much of a normal childhood as you can"
Any other time, Peter would have argued that he isn't in his childhood anymore, but he let it slide "I understand that Ben, and I want you to know that you have no idea just how thankful I am for it. But I also worry about you guys and that's why I want to help" Peter says eagerly.
"I know you want to help Peter, but you're still too young to do so. I mean, how do you expect to get a job at 14 years old?" Ben questions, gaining a smirk at Peter's reddened face "plus, didn't you apply to intern with that… Ontario doctor?
"Octavius" Peter corrected. Since the start of the school year, Peter's decathlon supervisor and soon science teacher in middle school, recommended Peter and his team to search for a place to intern during summer, and hopefully, all of his highschool years.
This would get them academic credit to impress any university of their choosing, resume advantage for jobs, skill development in an actual working environment and much more.
That's why he and Gwen started to apply with many scientists who had spots available for interns, two of which Peter is most excited about.
The first they applied for is with Dr. Curt Connors, the expert on biology and biochemistry that works with Oscorp, but also has a lab in the Empire State university, or ESU, where he has slots opened for high school interns. Since both Gwen and Peter are finishing middle school this June, they hope their applications are enough to impress the doctor and get them a slot in there, even if they are not technically high schoolers yet.
The other one they applied with is Dr. Otto Octavius. A brilliant man who originally worked as a radiation expert, but shifted his focus when he started Octavius Industries to try and help the unfortunate with his inventions. He is a genius in almost every field of science and is in need of interns to assist in his work and starting company.
Peter admired Octavius, both for his genius and for the kind of man that he is, so he's pretty excited about the fact that age is not one of the requirements to be able to intern with him.
"Octavius" Ben corrected himself "I don't want you to give up things like that to do things that I'm supposed to do, Peter. You have your responsibilities and I have mine" Ben finished his speech as Peter stood by the kitchen door quietly, contemplating his uncle's words.
"Well… I don't think the internship would be a problem, I don't even think I'd be considered for-" Peter started again, wanting to gain an edge for himself.
But Ben, sensing what he was trying to say, interrupted Peter "Don't say that, Pete! Anyone would be lucky to have such a smart and upstanding guy like you!" He encouraged his nephew, finally cracking a smile on his face.
"But tell you what son, you say that you'll get your answer once summer starts, right?" Ben questions while rubbing his chin.
"Yeah?" Answers Peter, unsure of where this is going.
"Okay, so how about this? You wait for the answer about the internship and until then we don't mention this again" Ben motions to the overdue bills still in his other hand "if you get accepted, then great! You stay there and do your very best. But if for some reason they overlook you because of your age or something, I'll consider, CONSIDER, letting you get a summer job. Deal?" Ben asks as he stands up and holds out his hand for Peter to shake.
Peter considers his words and sighs softly. He doubts he will get a better answer from his uncle than this one "Thanks uncle, that's all I ask" he says as he shakes his uncle's hand
"Great! You're still grounded though…" just because they got into an agreement doesn't mean that the older man forgot how Peter yelled and cussed at him.
"Oh, yeah that's uhm, that's fair… can I just grab a snack before I go?" Peter asks shyly, still feeling famished.
*Chuckle* Of course Pete. I'm strict, not a monster" Ben quips as he sits down, printing Peter to grab three apples and quickly disappear from the kitchen.
He was also lucky that May had work that night in FEAST. He shudders at the idea of cursing in front of her.
Flashback end
Peter finished thinking about that shameful argument with the memory of MJ asking him very worried if everything was alright. She could hear some of the yelling through both their houses' thin walls. That added to his shame and regret of the whole situation since he knows that his redheaded friend grew up in a abusive household, and all the shouting probably scared her more than it would have any other person
He reassured her that it was just a small skirmish between him and Ben that got out of hand, and made MJ the promise that it wouldn't happen again, which she looked glad for.
'Maybe I could start pitching my way…' Peter shook his head and got out of memory lane as he grabbed the flier, seeing how the first match was on Friday and the second on Saturday.
'Today is Thursday… I should watch some wrestling videos and see what I'm getting into' Peter concluded, spending the rest of the night going through a rabbit hole of martial arts techniques, mma championships and professional boxers' signature moves. Peter watched all this and began his self taught training.
The next day was the first match, so after classes Peter apologized to his friends that wanted to hang out, saying how he had to help at home with something. Lie that they all bought, since why would Peter need to lie about anything?
Peter spent his whole afternoon planning out his wrestling costume on a notebook page inside his bedroom. Once he was pleased with what he came up with, he started his costume by buying a deep red balaclava and similar color sweater. Part of wrestling was showmanship and he wouldn't want anyone knowing his age or post a video of him for the world to see.
He also needed to protect himself and his family since the news about mutant hate had been getting tougher and tougher. Peter wasn't sure he qualified as a mutant, or rather a lab 'accident' like The Hulk or even Captain America. But he did know that many mutant children have been 'disappearing' from their homes in suspicious manners, with some of them even showing up days later, all injured and some even dead.
How someone could do this to children was beyond Pete's mind.
And Peter also didn't know Ben's and May's stand on mutants, but he knew that if he happened to be they wouldn't hate him…probably. But Peter knows that the majority of people hated them, and that was a target in his back that Peter wanted to avoid.
So with that in mind he also got himself some hard plastic like, white material he could use as lenses. To complete his look, he painted a black spider on his chest.
"Hey son, where are you going this late?" Asked Ben as he saw his nephew trying to sneak out of the house with a weird sweater on.
"Oh! Uhm… I just wanted to go to the movies with my friends, y'know?" Answered Peter nervously.
"This late?" Asked Ben with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah it was the earliest they had it on because it's *sigh* it's an R rated movie that Harry got tickets for us. It's-it's not dirty or anything like that, it's just violent." Peter noticed how he was getting better and better at lying with each day, something that worried him since it could become regular of him to do so.
Ben however only chuckled lightly and told Peter it was fine and that he understood, seeing as he himself was once a 'wild' teen, causing the both of them to laugh at the image.
"I won't tell May, just be careful and don't let sneak out of the house be the new regular for you… remember what we talked about in the car?" Questioned Ben.
"Of course uncle, I remember" said Peter confidently after thinking about it 'the man I want to become… I want to help my family' thought Peter as he said his last thanks to his uncle and ran to his destination.
Uncle Ben only looked towards the door in contemplation. He didn't want to, but he couldn't help but think his nephew just lied to him.
'I'm going to be late!' Screamed Peter to himself as he saw the time on his cellphone.
'Maybe if I…' thought Peter as he used his newly finished web shooters and balanced as he had practiced in closed spaces, now through the streets of the big city. "WHOOO YEAH!" He yelled as he swung to his destination.
The place looked sketchy, as if it came from a Tv show of unsolved crimes. But once inside it looked cool, with a ring on the center and stands of concrete surrounding the entire place. He could also see where the main office would be, giving the place it was on top of the better placed stands behind a big window.
So Peter, after lying about his age and reason to be anonymous, entered the fights.
'Wow this is awesome' exclaimed Peter in his last fight, as he discovered a new ability. When something was about to hit him, he felt a buzz in his head that told him where danger was coming from, as he saw everything slow down.
This power didn't tell him what was about to hit him, but it did tell him how dangerous it was, as if it was screaming to him 'watch it!' from a simple fist he wasn't seeing, to a 'MOVE NOW!' from a low kick strong enough to break a bone or something.
Peter played with this ability, being so bold as to close his eyes in the last match against the amateurs to see if it worked all the time or if it had a limit. If it did had one, Peter didn't find it.
Something curious did happen, because when Peter focused intently on danger, he could even 'see' who was dangerous and even who wanted to hurt him.
'Probably test themselves against me, seeing as how I won and I'm the smallest here'. Thought to himself as the referee held his hand up in victory.
"Great job out there, you have the makings of a great wrestler!" Said the owner of the event while handing him an envelope with the money, now in his office "Remember, tomorrow you have the opportunity to fight Bonesaw, our resident champion and win 3 grand if you last 3 minutes against him and win! Will we see you here?" Questioned the man.
Peter counted the money, happy with his first 'paycheck' "Of course!" He exclaimed happily 'Oh man, with this I can look for myself without having to ask for an allowance, maybe even buy my school supplies and stuff! Hopefully that takes off some trouble for Ben'.
"Excellent! See you tomorrow mister…?" Asked the man for Peter's 'name' as he shook his hand.
"… the human spider! You can call me that!" Answered Peter, satisfied with himself by the name. He did gain his powers from a spider after all, it's only right to honor that.
"… if you say so, hey, maybe we will work out something better later. Be seeing you champ!" for some reason Peter got the impression that the man in the office and his guard snickered at his name.
But oh well, he was too happy to care. So Peter used his shooters again till the tall buildings were no longer part of his route towards queens, yelling in ecstasy all the way there.
Saturday started great, May made some of Peter's all time favorites wheat cakes, he walked with MJ to Gwen's to see their rehearsal with everyone being extra nice to him. Even Betty and Glory were weirdly touchy with him that day, asking him if he worked out. Apparently something after that made Gwen and MJ sour their mood.
'Maybe they got hungry…' was Peter's first idiotic conclusion, while Betty was still rubbing Peter's arm through his long sleeved shirt and hoodie, asking him if he wasn't hot under all that.
Peter did notice that he wasn't. Since the spider bite Peter has been cold all the time, which made a little sense since spiders can't thermoregulate their body's. And while Peter is still obviously a mammal, it's seems as if his blood got a little bit colder compared to others.
Trying to change the subject a little, Peter offers to pay for some food for how great they played that day "I got some extra cash on me for helping the next door neighbor and I wouldn't mind spending it on you girls" said Peter with a smile.
"Oh, are you sure Pete?" Gwen asked him, she didn't mean to be rude, but she did know the Parker's financial situation
"Of course! A rehearsal so good as this deserves a reward or something. So what are we thinking? Pizza?" Peter asks as he takes out his phone to dial the place.
"That sounds great, Tiger!" MJ replied happily with a quick hug and thanks from Glory and Betty. Seems like he is winning some brownie points with those two.
"S-sure MJ, it's a pleasure" mutters Peter after the quick hug ended, but with MJ still close to him, making the ever shy boy blush.
Every girl giggled at his reaction, which looked cute on the teen who excused himself to order the food. He'd be lying if said he wasn't hungry himself and that's the real reason he proposed the idea, but that's only for him to know.
After he left, he called Harry to just check up on him, answer some messages he had from some classmates and be an all around nice guy, helping some ladies cross the street and things like that.
It was nearing the time for the fight and Peter got everything ready. He has his costume on, his mask in his back pocket and his web shooters ready for the trip.
"Peter, I thought we talked about this." Peter froze at the door when he heard Ben talk to him in a stern voice.
"Uh y-yeah Ben I j-just thought you were sleeping and well y'know, I didn't want to wake you up." Peter felt as a deer in front of headlights.
Ben frowned, knowing his nephew well enough to know he lied again, but wanting to know the truth he played along with him.
The conversation developed to the point where Ben asked Peter where he was going tonight dressed the same way as yesterday. And Peter quickly answered that MJ and Gwen had gained a gig playing the opening act in a bar where musicians of all styles played.
Peter had actually seen this bar close to where the wrestling ring is, so it was the perfect excuse, he also apologized profusely to his friends in his mind for using their love for their band to be used for a lie.
Ben meditated on this and asked for the direction of the bar, when Peter told him it he was so confident Ben almost faltered in his disbelief. So weighing what he should do, he allowed Peter to go. Peter thanked him and quickly left. Thanks to his web shooters and his apparent super human running speed, Peter would be there in a quarter of the time one would usually make by car.
After that Ben quickly changed into clothes out of his pijamas he had ready to sleep, and left a sleeping May with a kiss to the cheek.
When he turned his back to May he got a weird feeling, same as the day he left Peter for his school trip. But this time it told him that maybe he should stay home and tell his wife how much he loves her.
But Ben had already his nephew in mind, and if Peter was deviating from the path of a good man, Ben needed to set him back straight. No matter how much he got that feeling he had to stay out tonight and talk to him tomorrow.
"I love you" whispered Ben, smiling as he saw May smile back in her sleep. Only to go get his car keys and go to the address given to him. He had to know if his nephew was lying or not.
"What do you mean you're not paying me the three grand?!" Questioned Peter in indignation.
He arrived on time to be announced to the cheering public, only for the host to forget his name and present him as 'Spider-Man'.
'I knew that those guys didn't like The Human Spider' grumbled Peter, offended with whoever decided to change his stage name.
Then when he got into the ring he got to meet Bonesaw, who Peter very stupidly never even searched on the internet. He was the human definition of 'roid rage' and it was all for Peter to deal with. And to end on a high note, they placed him in a freaking metal cage as if he was an animal fighting against a monster.
Too bad for Bonesaw, because when Peter saw all this mixed up together he got stressed. And angry, very angry. So in a moment of loss in self control Peter punched the guy a little, tiny bit harder than he would've meant to. Knocking his lights out, with a few teeth with it.
Peter freaked out like he probably never had before. He heard perfectly with his super hearing how his teeth broke at the impact of his fist, and smelled the blood coming from him as if he was right in front of it. It was nauseating.
And for the second where everyone was quiet in awe and disbelief, Peter thought he was about to get hunted by a scared and angry mob of people with pitchforks as if he was Frankenstein's monster. Only for them to stand up while giving their loudest cheer posible.
The main fight of the night, the promising newbie vs the old time champ, was overbonly after 30 seconds it started, with the newbie coming on top. What's not to love?
Apparently the owner didn't love it, because here he is spewing some bullshit excuse of how the fight was supposed to last 3 minutes instead of just one minute. So if Peter technically 'lasted' a sixth of the time, he'd get a sixth of the earnings.
"But I really need the money" said Peter in a pleading manner.
"I missed the part where that's my problem" simply said the man looking at Peter, only to dismiss him and keep counting the money from the packs he had in his table.
*Tsk* Peter could only click his tongue in anger and leave the office, at the same time a man with a hood was entering it.
'Damn it! …well, $500 dollars from doing less than the night before is not exactly bad, I just need to think of ways of getting more money' Peter thought as he looked over his shoulder when he finally heard all the commotion.
A man with a gun on one hand and a bag in the other was running towards him. Peter recognized him as the hooded man that entered the office after he left it.
The man had cargo camuflaje pants, black boots, an orange shirt and a black jacket. Because he was running he could see his face perfectly, caucasian male with black hair on the sides and short white spiky hair in the top.
That face will haunt Peter for the rest of his days without him knowing it yet.
"Stop him!" The office man was yelling at Peter to stop the guy, but Peter simply stepped aside letting him go.
"Thanks" the robber thanked the atill masked Peter. .
Peter then heard for a few seconds how the security guy and the office man reproached him on how he let the guy flee.
"…now he's going to get away with my money!" Yelled the man from the office in Peter's masked face.
"I missed the part where that's my problem" said Peter in the same dismissive manner the man had used previously to Peter.
And Peter was expecting the man to keep yelling at him, maybe even punch him as he didn't know he was just a kid and not a somewhat short man. But to Peter's surprise, the man smirked lightly in amusement and walked back to his office.
Peter stood still for a few seconds, watching the man walking away from him. Then he turned around and left.
Ben reached the bar, and as he got out he saw a man running towards him with a gun in his hand, without thinking twice before pointing it at Ben.
Ben only closed his eyes softly as he knew what was coming next. The image of his family was the last thing he saw in his mind.
May, the love of his life and the one responsible for the brightest of his days. And Peter, the son he never knew he wished to have, but now that he did he never wishes to be apart from.
*BANG* echoed the gun through the street.
Then a car screeching made itself known. The people inside the bar walked out with weariness, most of them already knowing what made that first sound.
A woman screamed while several others called the police and an ambulance in a hurry.
Peter walked out from the fights, thinking about what he'd done, when he saw the police lights a few streets away. Curiosity defeated him and he got closer and closer to what he assumed was a crime scene. Getting surprised when he saw Gwen's dad there.
He quickly took off the mask and ran to him and ask him if everything was okay.
But with his superior sight he saw him through everyone. Laying on the floor, bathed in his own blood and barely breathing was Ben. His uncle.
His father.
Peter didn't even react when George Stacy saw him and stood up in front of him, telling him in his 'cop voice' to stay away from the crime scene.
He barely looked his way and saw the grief in his friends dad when he knew there was going to be nothing they could do for his father. So without minding too much his strength he shoved George away, who looked confused at the boy's strength. And went to hold his father.
"BEN! BEN, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Peter said desperately as he kneeled by him and grabbed his hand, some cops tried to grab him but none were strong enough to move him.
George after snapping out of his confusion by the strength of the boy told his cops to stand aside, as they were family.
"…Peter" barely said Ben with a small smile starting to creep on his face as he saw his nephew with him. No longer scared at the possibility of leaving this world without looking at him one last time.
"Yes uncle I'm here, and-and you're going to be alright you hear me!?" Tears started to run down his cheeks, as he gently touched Ben's chest, filling his hand with his blood.
Ben slowly shook his head, saying no without saying it "Peter… be a good man… take care of May"
"D-don't talk like that you-you-" Peter's voice broke with fear and gried at what's happening. Tears started to swell up in his eyes.
"And remember… I'm-I'm proud of you…son" Ben's body went limp at that. Peter could no longer feel Ben's heart in the hand that was holding his, Ben's breathing also got quiet.
And so in front of strangers, cops and his friend's dad, Peter wept like a child for the death of his father.
With no effort Peter hugged him tightly, lifting him up a little making everyone see how limp Ben was. Filling Peter's black pants and hands with blood.
George told Peter that he needed to let go, but Peter refused, no one was taking Ben from him.
Except the one who killed him.
And once again, Peter was robbed from his family. His uncle, the only father he had ever known, now gone to some guy with a gun.
From George's radio, a cop described Ben's car to perfection, saying that the assassin most likely stole the old man's car and is fleeing towards some unused streets at these hours of the night.
Peter heard George say something about taking him to his aunt's and delivering personally the bad news.
But Peter didn't need that, he needed to make the man who did this pay. So he let go of Ben and ran towards an empty street with an impressive speed that made everyone look in surprise. George knew that something bad was about to happen, but with an assassin on the run he couldn't chase after the grieving boy.
'I hope Gwen forgives me for abandoning Peter to wherever he's going if she finds about this' thought George as he got a mental image of his daughter playing and blushing with the boy that just lost his uncle. 'Oh Gwen…' George couldn't help but think that these are going to be difficult days for his daughter from this point on.
Peter is furious, burning with a rage he never knew he had. He felt his mouth water, his eyes hurting a little as they began seeing a little clearer in the dark and his forearms tingling slightly.
But he didn't care about that now, he had someone to catch. Peter placed his mask back on and flew through the city with his webs in search of the man who did this.
Arriving at the last place seen by the other cop in literal seconds, Peter quickly followed the trail of angry people yelling at a crazy driver and tire marks until he saw his uncle's car with the door open in an abandoned and broken down house.
'He's inside' figured Peter as he flipped through the air and entered through a hole in the broken ceiling with an impossible lack of sound.
The assassin knew he was in trouble. He didn't mean to shoot the old man, it was just a mistake he made. He was full of adrenaline and the moment when the old man stepped out of the car he wanted to take, so he planned to threaten him by pointing the gun at him.
But he was so nervous since he knew the police was after him that his whole body tensed and so he shot. He didn't mean to!
He even helped the old man in stepping far enough off the road so that he wouldn't get hit by a car or anything, and drove away only when the customers in the bar stepped out.
Now he was in an abandoned house, running to the attic where he could be alone with his remorse. It was a nice cozy old place, filled with dust and the moon light that shone through the holes in the ceiling and the huge window that went from floor to ceiling that gave view to the front yard.
Window that showed the cop's red and blue lights approaching.
It was quiet and the only thing he could hear was his ragged breathing *Thump* until the floor made a hard sound, as if something had fallen.
"Who's there?!" Yelled the robber as he pointed his gun towards nothing, worried about the possibility of someone else being there and possibly ruining his hideout. It was hard to see with only the moonlight so he wasn't sure what was going on.
Suddenly everything started to creak; the floor, walls and even the ceiling started to sound more and more aggressive, as if something was bouncing from them. Scared, the killer started to gravitate towards the window where the lights from the cops shone brighter with each passing moment.
Something was hunting him, he could feel the bloodlust directed to him in his very being. Like when someone is in front of an angry lion at the zoo and feels a shiver down his spine when it growls.
*BANG BANG BANG* tired of waiting for something to happen he started to shoot wherever the wood creaked next. He had a revolver and he had already used four bullets, he couldn't waste anymore.
*Thump* he suddenly saw whatever it was that was chasing him, to his surprise it was the same wrestler that won and then allowed him to leave with the money.
"W-what are you doing here!? WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" The assassin demanded to know, scared at the approaching man who he knows is virtually impossible to be here. The assassin literally almost killed himself many times by how close he was to crash the old man's car in his haste to flee the crime scene.
Meanwhile Peter couldn't believe it. It was the same man he let go barely an hour ago. He needed a car to escape with and uncle Ben was in front of the bar Peter told him he was going to be in.
Ben Parker, his father, died.
And it was Peter's fault.
'W-what have I done?' thought Peter as he stood up completely still, taking off his mask in the darkness with shaky hands and started walking calmly towards the assassin, as if he was taking a stroll down at the park. Or at least it looked that way.
In reality, Peter was struggling not to break down and throw himself to the ground and wail like a child for what he has inadvertently done, as well as stopping himself from literally throwing himself at the robbing and shred him to pieces.
The robber could only see his deep and slightly glowing red eyes approaching him. They looked unnatural for a human, harboring impossible levels of rage that outshined any grief he might be feeling "WHAT ARE YOU?! Y-YOU MONSTER!" *BANG*.
With barely a feet apart Peter dodged the bullet that was heading straight for his head with a simple tilt of this one, slapping the gun away with strength beyond any regular human and lifting the man up by the neck with just one hand.
"… monster?" Peter questioned quietly as he looked at the man he was holding.
*UMF!* Peter then suddenly snapped, feeling his rage returning to him as he punched the older man right on his mouth.
"YOU KILLED A MAN IN COLD BLOOD AND YOU CALL SOMEONE ELSE A MONSTER!?" Peter demanded to know in rage as he started to feel how the assassin was barely breathing, now with blood streaming down the man's mouth. No doubt he knocked at least the front row of teeth off, based on how much blood was the man letting out.
Peter considered killing him right there. It would be so easy to tighten his grip just a little bit more and be done with this. But what would uncle Ben say about that? What would May think about him? Is this really who he wanted to be? Those were some of the questions in his mind as he let go of the man who started coughing on the floor.
Peter looked down in shame and grief at what he was doing, tears never stopped running down his eyes since holding his uncle.
The assassin scared of the 'boy' before him saw this as an opportunity to try and head for his gun and save his life, only for him to jump at the sight of those red eyes suddenly snapping his way in such a speed it caught him off guard.
He flinched backwards where a brick was in his foot's way, causing him to fall through the giant window and fall head first to the ground. Breaking his neck and dying almost instantly.
Peter looked numbed at whatever reminded of the window being illuminated by the ever growing red and blue lights of the cops. He slowly walked ahead to the window and looked down, seeing the man he almost killed and assassinated his uncle now dead by a simple mistake on the man's part.
It was a gruesome sight for Peter. The man now mangled on the floor like a doll with his limbs bent into humanly impossible angles and his neck clearly showing how broken it was. Blood streamed from the man's now opened skull, mouth and nose while his eyes remained opened, now devoid of any light in them.
But he was looking at Peter
Someway or another, the corpse of the assassin is staring directly at Peter with death and cold eyes, judging him for what he's done.
And for a second when the lights turned from blue to red, Peter could've sworn he saw a pale lady with some black markings in her face looking up directly at him with a playful smirk on her face through the tears in his eyes, standing right above the mangled corpse's head. Only for her to disappear as quickly as she came when the lights turned blue again.
Peter didn't know or care if he was hallucinating or not anymore.
When the cops finally arrived at the house Peter was ready to leave the same way he came, only to stop and look at the gun left by the killer. He stood there watching the gun for almost five minutes without even blinking when he finally heard George of all people say someone should look into the attic where the assassin most likely fell off.
Peter quickly grabbed the gun and examined it, noting it still had one bullet left.
Even with Peter's super strength the fire arm felt heavy in his hand and disgusting for him to grab it. Yet he felt as if it was whispering to him, calling for him for an unknown reason. He felt chills all over his body the longer he gazed at the gun in his hand, everything else was beginning to tune out. It's as if he was alone in the world with the gun that killed his uncle that still had a single bullet left.
Whispering to him, telling to do it. But do what? He felt as if he knew the answer, it was so close he could feel it on the tip of his tongue but it was clouded in his mind. He needed to, he needed to…
Peter snapped out of his trance when he heard footsteps getting closer and closer.
He looked at the window where the man fell one last time before tucking the gun into his pants and jump quietly to the roof, to then swing towards his home, where his aunt was now probably crying for Ben, and wondering where he was.
True to his suspicions, Peter arrived now without his suit that he left beside some neighbor's chimney on the roof, to his aunt crying her eyes out while sitting on the porch of the house, being consoled by her friend, Anna Watson and her niece Mary Jane. Who undoubtedly heard all the commotion from the cops in his house and went to investigate.
Peter ignored the officials and went straight to May, neither Anna or MJ tried to stop him from hugging his crying aunt who was sitting in the porch bench.
"I'm so sorry May, I'm s-sorry" cried Peter while holding his aunt's head to his chest and she clung to him as if her life depended on it, while he kept muttering the word he hates so much.
On the side Anna could only comfort her crying niece as she was shedding some tears herself.
That night, everything changed for the remaining Parkers.